Small Changes, and Bigger Results
by Sleep-Deprived000
Summary: When Lu Ten went to Ba Sing Se with General Iroh, he came back to his homeland alive and healthy. His eminent return leads to unforeseen circumstances, and a decidedly different future.
1. Introduction

An Avatar: Last Airbender fanfic, with a touch of AU thrown in, along with unforeseen circumstances, and a more rebellious Zuko.

Summary: When Lu Ten went to Ba Sing Se with General Iroh, he came back to his homeland alive and healthy. His eminent return leads to unforeseen circumstances, and a decidedly different future.

Warnings: Zuko-Centric, contains violence, relatively AU, minor changes in the timeline!

...**...**...

83 ASC, Month of the Sun (July), Wednesday, 12:00pm

Lady Ursa looked at her small son. He lay in her arms, completely silent, only soft snores escaping him once in a while. He was perfectly lovely, she thought, and decided to ignore the fact that half of that statement was a mother's bias. His blue-black hair curled around his little head, and she knew that when he opened his eyes, they would be gold, not the usual uncertain baby blue you could find in most infants. After all, he came of Roku's line, and Sozin's blood ran through his veins.

"Aunt Ursa?" asked the tall, muscular teenager who sat by her elbow, his slowly deepening voice steeped in fascination at the sight of the little baby in her arms. It was fourteen year old Lu Ten's first time visiting his baby cousin. He had never seen a newborn before, and the little, fragile form before him filled him with a sense of protectiveness that he knew would stay with him as long as he knew his cousin.

"Yes, Lu Ten?"

"What are you going to name him?"

Ursa slowly mulled over that question. She knew that Prince Ozai would most likely want to name their child, but she had her own ideas. She had always liked the name Zuko, which for her stood for the main characteristic features of fire: passion, and fierceness. But on the other hand, she liked the name Geming better. Rebellion; it was the perfect meaning, a sign of changing times and new beginnings.

"I quite fancy Geming. What about you, my child?"

"Geming...Aunt Ursa, what is the meaning?"

"I will tell you, but you will have to keep it a secret from Prince Ozai, Lu Ten." Ursa said playfully, perfectly conscious of the fact that the fourteen year old would never tell anyone if she asked it of him. After all, she didn't think Prince Ozai would appreciate a son with the name meaning of 'rebellion'. She would have to think of a different way to write that name when she'd show it to the Prince. "It means 'to rebel' or 'rebellion'."

Lu Ten looked at her blankly, before chuckling under his breath. Yes, that was definitely something his uncle would not approve of. He would most likely like a name with the meaning of 'proud' or 'strict'. To name her son 'rebellion' was completely Aunt Ursa. And Lu Ten was glad that his uncle most likely wouldn't bother checking the meaning apart from how it was written.

Yes, he had a feeling that his small cousin would bring a lot of changes to the Fire Nation.

...**...**...

Cultural Notes: In this fanfic, I will expand on Fire Nation customs quite a lot. Firstly, in my version, the naming of a newborn child is VERY important, as it determines its future and main personality traits. Secondly, Ursa calls Ozai 'Prince' because even though they are married, they are royalty, and he has a higher position that her. It is quite similar to the old customs of married couples calling each other Mr Surname or Mrs Surname, or a queen calling the king 'Your Majesty'. Thirdly, and lastly, because this note is taking too long, the spelling of Fire Nation names is similar to Chinese or Japanese names. You can know the meaning of a name by looking at its spelling, and can change its meaning by changing a couple of characters in the name, even though you're not changing the pronunciation.


	2. Chapter 1

An Avatar: Airbender fanfic, with a touch of AU thrown in, along with unforeseen circumstances, and a more rebellious Zuko.

Summary: When Lu Ten went to Ba Sing Se with General Iroh, he came back to his homeland alive and healthy. His eminent return leads to unforeseen circumstances, and a decidedly different future.

Warnings: Zuko-Centric, contains violence, relatively AU, minor changes in the timeline.

Important Note: In case anyone didn't realise or connect the facts, Geming is Zuko. He isn't named Zuko because this story is a bit AU and is a 'What If...'

...**...**...

86 ASC, Month of the Harvest (October), Tuesday, 4:30pm

Three year old Geming ran ahead to the palace gardens, an ecstatic smile on his face, his little feet stomping on the marble, tiled floors. Lady Ursa walked behind him, her golden eyes twinkling with amusement as she watched his petit figure. He had been given time off from his lessons, and the nasty old tutor who taught him reading and writing had scowled, but said nothing. The only homework he had, from the nice lady who taught him the different arts, was to paint something he saw on his excursion.

As he rounded the corner, his three-year-old feet weren't quite quick enough to make him slow down to a more manageable pace, and he ran straight into some sort of hard pole. He landed hard on his tailbone, and a sudden urge to cry overtook him, but though his eyes did water, he bit his bottom lip and stayed silent. Just as he was about to scramble to his feet, a calloused, tanned hand appeared in his field of sight, and Geming looked up to see his cousin grinning down at him.

"Why so impatient, little cousin?"

"Lu Ten!" Geming grabbed his hand, and the tall teen easily hauled him up, dusting him off in the process. Geming liked his cousin, and not only because they were family. Lu Ten was the only one (apart from his mother, Uncle Iroh and a couple of teachers and attendants and Azula, but she didn't count because she was only one year old) that took the time to actually look at him and see Geming, and not a member of the royal family. His father was too proud, expected too much from him, and wanted an heir, not a son, and his grandfather was just too busy, and the Fire Nation was his first priority. And Geming wouldn't even think of the nobles...they just wanted to either use him to climb up the social ladder, or wanted him to be the perfect prince. Geming knew that Lu Ten probably had it harder than him, as the son of the crown prince, and Geming truly pitied him.

"Geming, are you alright?" his mother asked him as she neared them, a worried frown tilting her lips downwards. When she saw he was fine, only surprised at the fall, her expression eased and she looked at him sternly. "Geming, apologise to Lu Ten for running into him. You should be more careful next time."

"I'm sorry, Lu Ten." Geming said obediently, and Lu Ten only grinned in response.

"Do not worry about it, little cousin. Where were you hurrying to, may I ask?"

And before Geming could open his mouth to explain, his mother stepped in. "We were going to the gardens. Geming wanted a break from his studies, so we are going to go down to the fire lily fields. He also has an assignment from Teacher Yuzah to paint something he saw."

"Then may I accompany you, Geming, Aunt Ursa? I've finished all of my lessons, and am currently looking for some entertainment before I have to go to Father for a small spar."

Geming grinned, grabbed Lu Ten's hand and didn't even give his mother a chance to answer as he dragged him down the cold palace corridor.

...**...**...

92 ASC, Month of the Blossoms (May), Saturday, 3:35pm

Geming knelt next to his father, his seven year old sister on his other side, and his mother next to Azula. He hated the audience chamber of the Fire Lord, he hated the way his father gained a glint in his eye, signifying that he was thinking intensely. He also hated the way that the Fire Lord was completely severed from his people, as though he was some sort of deity, and not a human. People couldn't come with their problems to the ruler of the Fire Nation, so Geming wondered why would the council build an audience chamber, if the only people able to get an audience with the Lord were nobles and the royal family, which usually meant that they had come to complain about a lack of new recruits to the army, the lack of even stricter and harsher rules for the schools, or about how they should start invading the Earth Kingdom already.

He knew that the citizens from the poorer areas of the Fire Nation weren't happy, and he knew that most of the people wished for the constant battles, conflicts and struggles to stop, and wished for the rest of the world to take back that do-not-let-into-the-country notice most countries had prepared for the Fire Nation.

He sighed, trying futilely to calm his raging thoughts, and to stop the enraged scowl slowly spreading across his face as he listened to the conversation between his father and Fire Lord Azulon as Prince Ozai tried to make Uncle Iroh lose his position as the crown prince, however ineffectively. Geming truly believed that the only way the Fire Nation would survive, and the only way the people would be happy, would be if Uncle Iroh would just be crowned Fire Lord.

"However, Your Majesty, Iroh is old, and surely I would be a better candidate...especially after my brother's wife died a year ago..."

"Silence, Ozai! I have already decided. Iroh will lead the invasion of Ba Sing Se in two years, he will prepare the soldiers and recruits, he will plan the attack, and he will stay as the crown prince. The death of Ula has nothing to do with this, and you should learn to refrain from speaking when your opinion is not wanted!"

Ozai swallowed the protest forming on his lips, hid his slowly maddening expression behind a mask of coolness and apathetic acceptance, bowed his head and said "Yes, Your Majesty."

And really, if he could make his father react and back down like that, Geming was slowly coming to love his grandfather.

...**...**...

Short Explanation: These were only short snippets of Geming's childhood. In the next chapter I will expand on his feelings and opinions towards certain people, and you will get to see some more arguments between Azulon and Ozai as Iroh and Lu Ten get ready for the invasion. Also, Ula is Iroh's late wife. In this story, she died when Geming was eight.


End file.
